How do you deal with lots of puppy biting?
When we say 'no' firmly, he instantly gets hyper and starts trying to play. I've tried ignoring this as I don't want him to think 'misbehave and I get games' but then he starts the leg nipping thing (he just pierced a hole in my favourite jeans today...  !). Have tried putting him in another room and it seems to work for a few mins when he comes out then it starts again. It just feels that all I'm doing at the moment is yelping (way to make a fool of myself with the neighbours...thank you The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation, by Jan Fennell!!), saying no, and putting him in another room. Where's the happy time?!?
I know this is pretty common for a pup - I'm just hoping for some ideas on how to deal with it (and suggestions where I can buy reinforced pup proof jeans!) |
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| I would recommend replacing your arms, legs, jeans, hands, etc. with a toy and/or bone. Give him something he can chew!
Also - when he bites - yell loudly "OUCH" - let him know that he hurt you - make a big deal out of it! |
Thanks for replying so quickly 
I've tried 1. yelling ouch and walking away, 2. yelling and immediately putting him in another room and 3. yelling and giving him a bone to chew on. Problem is, with 1. he seems to get more excited and nips my legs, meaning I have to repeat it again, whch has the same effect, 2. he comes back in, is calm for a few secs then gets bored perhaps and does it again and 3. the bone doesn't seem as interesting to him as raw flesh(!). He will chew it as long as someone is holding it but once you give it to him, he gets bored and starts the nipping game again! I'm just getting confused about all the different things I am reading. One book says if I'm giving him a toy, he realises the surefire way to get a game is by nipping...another says that I'm supposed to play with him if he starts nipping...my friend who has 2 sheepies thinks I worry too much about messing up (and I'm pretty sure she's right!!) but I don't want to do anything wrong at this early stage that results in a big bad dog! Any thoughts? |
| Your best bet would be to enroll him in a positive reinforcement puppy class ASAP! You can socialize him, teach him proper manners and help develop a bond that will help in his training and development.
How old was Harry when you got him? The early socialization is very critical - particularly in this behavior. Try and relax though - and enjoy raising your puppy - if you're too uptight and nervous - Harry will sense that! I'm sure you'll do a great job! We all make mistakes along the way!!!! One of the mistakes I made was not enrolling Presley in puppy school until some of her behaviors were already set in stone! Good Luck! Kristen |
| We got him at 8 1/2 weeks. Luckily he was with a family with 2 children and lots of visitors. He seems very nervous at everything at the moment so further socialisation would be of great benefit. My husband and I have no other pets or kids so it's quite quiet around here.
I've enrolled him in a puppy training class in January (there was not one that suited before then) so I think I'll just have to grin and bear it before then! It's quite hard at the moment as he's not allowed outside for 3 weeks (until after his second set of injections in 2 weeks). He must be bored! I'll just have to persevere, be patient with him and buy those reinforced jeans!  |
| There's an ol' saying - a tired puppies a good puppy - so he may need to be exerting more energy. That may be difficult with not being able to go outside (that's not typically practiced here in the States) - so maybe there's some other games/activities you can do with him. I've known people to play "hide and seek" with their puppies. You can also start practicing some basic obedience commands (sit, stay, down, etc.) and use alot of treats! |
Gill wrote: I'll just have to persevere, be patient with him and buy those reinforced jeans!
Persevere is right on!! It will pass, just be consistant with your commands and positive reinforcement and it will gradually stop. Unfortunately it doesn't happen over night and you can probably expect the nibbling to go on for the whole first year, just less and less. |
| the nipping may persist but you have to nip (no pun intended) it in the butt now, while he is young.
I was given all of the suggestions by everyone here by my breeder, along with grabbing (gently) his snout and hold it close, sternly saying no. I had a real hyper, nippy puppy and he got the idea after a few of these. Now he still is a happy, BIG, 11 month old puppy, and leads with his open mouth and wagging butt when he is excited, but has stopped the nipping completely. But the best advice has been given: patience. Enjoy. |
| I'll agree with El Gato. All the advise above is very helpful when dealing with nipping and works even for adult dogs when they had not been socialized... It just takes time and it will test your endurance.
Keep your pup busy and things will get better in time. Hang in there!!! |
| Here are 2 things that worked for us. Pooh no longer bites, or nips, but still mouths playfully at times.
1) When he gets like this, take him out for a run 2) Bite back. They hate it. I am only kind of joking about number 2. |
| My husband bit Zoe back!
It was right after she got back from the groomers and had that powder stuff on! Zoe looked at him like he was crazy and he was spitting for about an hour! |
| OH, how we all can relate to this one who has raised an OES puppy. These little big guys and gals are just balls of energy with a zest for life. Patience, patience and more patience, I felt as if I had become Bam-Bam's favorite chew toy no matter what I did to try and correct him. Thankful to say he out grew the practice at about 6 months old, I thought it would never end. At 4 years old he still uses his mouth to convey his wishes but in a much gentler manner. He takes my hand and just walks along side of me, I think he likes the idea of leading me around. If he does bare down a bit harder than usual I just say that hurts Ma and he eases up. Such intelligent creatures they are and never a dull moment with an OES in the house. I know some would disagree that a dog should never be allowed to put their mouth or teeth on you, but for Bam-Bam and I, it is just a way for him to communicate. |
| Maddison is 8 wks and 3 days old today. We have had her one week today. My husband and I have spent the entire week getting to know Maddi, socializing her at Pet Smart and visiting relatives and generally getting a 'feel' for this pup. After having two wonderful, good natured sheep dogs before Maddi - we were expecting the same. What a shock. Maddi is headstrong, aggressive and a real pain in the butt. Her growling shocked me. Nasty. So we realized we were going to have to let her know who was boss. Now when she growls we pick her up, turn her over on her back, command "settle" and glare into her eyes and hold her tight until she relaxes for a good long time. So far, we've always won. We have also yelped like we're mortally wounded when she bites (which is constant). We have held her muzzle, stared into her eyes and firmly said no. There is nothing mentioned on this whole OES site that we haven't tried except the 'collar' and we are not going to do that. Puppy training will start in January but until then - we're on our own. We have raised one standard poodle and two OES's since puppies and NEVER have I seen this behavior. I sure hope it gets better. |
| hi gill where are you am in cheshire and going through the same thing with bob who,s 4 and a bit months he,s just getting his teeth though so wants to bite everything at moment good luck dawn |
| I have a 12 week old oes puppy. I am having all the problems stated on this topic. The best thing I've tried is the exercise. I take Blue Star for long walks twice daily. She sometimes gets playful and nips at my pant legs but a stern no has worked. It's something you just have to keep reinforcing. If she gets to nippy with company or family we crate her right away. This seems to calm her. But the most importantly keep her exercised. It's good for us and her as well. |
Carol and Dennis wrote: Maddison is 8 wks and 3 days old today. We have had her one week today. My husband and I have spent the entire week getting to know Maddi, socializing her at Pet Smart and visiting relatives and generally getting a 'feel' for this pup. After having two wonderful, good natured sheep dogs before Maddi - we were expecting the same. What a shock. Maddi is headstrong, aggressive and a real pain in the butt. .... Puppy training will start in January but until then - we're on our own. We have raised one standard poodle and two OES's since puppies and NEVER have I seen this behavior. I sure hope it gets better.
Too funny, we also have a Madison, who was exactly the same. She is now 19 weeks old and much better. Just played with her and loved her a lot! She also has a brother, Bailey, which seems to help alot. I had to put my toy peke-a-poo to sleep on Aug 13, the worst thing I have ever had to do in my life. She had a heart murmor and cancer and it was just better for her. Anyway, I think the hardest thing to get used to is going from a perfectly behaved dog back to having a puppy again, much less two. My life was completely turned around and I was sure we had bit off more than we could chew. I just worked a lot with both pups. Bailey, the boy, was great! Always laid back and easy to deal with. Madison on the other hand was something much more challenging to deal with. Playing with these guys just helped me deal with the loss of Sara, so they got plenty of attention. It took about 6 weeks for Maddie to start settling down. It was so encouraging when she would actually lie still and let you snuggle her. Now, each week, we can see even more improvement. She actually learns quicker than Bailey, she just had a lot more energy. They also start Puppy headstart tomorrow. They are actually pretty good now, but it can't hurt. So stick with it. Harry and Madison are bound to get better! At one point, I thought our Maddie would never come around, but she did. She still has her moments, and taught some of them to Bailey, but the calm, really fun times are starting to outnumber the wild times. What sweet dogs they are turning out to be. The OES are definately a great big, floppy bundle of love! Eric |
Carol and Dennis wrote: Maddison is 8 wks and 3 days old today. We have had her one week today. My husband and I have spent the entire week getting to know Maddi, socializing her at Pet Smart and visiting relatives and generally getting a 'feel' for this pup. After having two wonderful, good natured sheep dogs before Maddi - we were expecting the same. What a shock. Maddi is headstrong, aggressive and a real pain in the butt. Her growling shocked me. Nasty. So we realized we were going to have to let her know who was boss. Now when she growls we pick her up, turn her over on her back, command "settle" and glare into her eyes and hold her tight until she relaxes for a good long time. So far, we've always won. We have also yelped like we're mortally wounded when she bites (which is constant). We have held her muzzle, stared into her eyes and firmly said no. There is nothing mentioned on this whole OES site that we haven't tried except the 'collar' and we are not going to do that. Puppy training will start in January but until then - we're on our own. We have raised one standard poodle and two OES's since puppies and NEVER have I seen this behavior. I sure hope it gets better.
I would be concerned with this behavior - especially the aggression / growling - this is NOT typical OES puppy behavior. Nipping and rambunctious puppy stuff is one thing - but aggressive, growling and biting is another. I would look into the book The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation, by Jan Fennell - it really has some great ideas and tips (so you can get a headstart before you start class) and make sure the training class is Positive Reinforcement based! Negative/punishment based training can make matters worse with puppies prone to aggression. JMHO. Kristen |
| I have my new OES and she is CRAZY!!!!!! She barks constantly, bites like a madman, and just tears up the house. Actually she probably isnt as bad as I make it sound, but still insane at times. When we come in from a walk or even just a potty break, she waits to get up the stairs and starts jumping and biting. She has learned already that she can get a better hold if she wraps her front legs around my leg before biting. The worst part is, when I am home alone with her, she is great, no barking and minimal biting. Then when I go to work, and my girlfriend gets home, she is a holy beast. I am wondering if there is a dominance thing with me and not my girlfriend. I have found that when she starts biting I rub her sides and she kind of calms down, but as for doing any kind of commands its pretty much out of the question.
May, I think Blue Star is from the same litter that Scout is. Let me know where you got her if you see this post. |
| This is probably a dominance issue (with Scout). Get your girlfriend involved with the training and you should start to see things improving.
It seems like a common problem among our new puppy owners on the forum. 
Alot of these behaviors are related to breeding (and temperments) - these behaviors are learned early (probably prior to you getting them) so the sooner you can get a handle on it - the better! Proper training and socialization is key! Enroll in an obedience class asap (positive reinforcement!). You should be able to start training class at 10 weeks old. JMO. Kristen |
| Hi Gill, we have exactly the same problem. My 12-week old pup was behaving very well until I applied the principles in The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation, by Jan Fennell book. I seriously think my pup has been in shock about the changes and tries to reinstate her role as the alpha girl. She became very hyper when I told her to give me her toy or when she knows I am about to ignore her of bad behaviour. She would grab, pulled and bit my pants.
I am going to hang on to the routine described in the book for another week or so and we'll see what happens. I will make the adjustment with the time out though, maybe when I see her lying down and relax for 10 seconds than I go back.... Note: I notice that she starts to be hyper when she is tired (around 40-50 minutes after getting out from the crate). Please keep me updated about this, Mary |
| Mary,
Just wanted to let you know that this post is pretty old--the last time a comment was made was in November 2004, so you might not get a response from Gill... |
| Sammy was doing the same thing and still does if he is excited. When we got him I made sure I had lots of toys for him especially the squeaky ones. He will occassionally try and grab one of the boys pants now if he is playing with them and they decide the game is over. I have found that if Sammy starts to bite then we stand still, have him sit and praise him for the sit then throw a ball or a toy and that seems to distract him from the biting. |
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